THINK the AFL's Indigenous All Stars side is a relatively recent concept?

Think again.

One of the very first representative sides was pulled together by Sir Doug Nicholls to play a charity match in June, 1944.

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Nicholls recruited players from Cummeragunja and Lake Tyers for an "all Aboriginal team" to take on VFA team Northcote, with The Argus reporting that more than 10,000 people attended Northcote Cricket Ground, with 450 pounds donated to the children's hospital.

The fairly nondescript club in the northern suburbs of Melbourne was chosen because star winger Nicholls had played for Northcote either side of his 54-game stint with Fitzroy in the VFL.

Games against Northcote were played over the following two years – a period which spanned the end of the Second World War – with the third squad recruited from Gippsland and Goulburn regions.

The '70s and '80s

An Indigenous side toured Papua New Guinea in 1973, with the reverse fixture held in Canberra the following year.

Following the conclusion of the 1983 VFL season, a combined Richmond-Mildura team took on an Aboriginal All Stars squad.

The Tigers – who had strong links to the Sunraysia region, with local hero Dale Weightman playing – were no match for the All Stars, losing by 138 points, 14.11 (95) to 37.11 (233), in a game where defensive tactics were clearly quite minimal.

The '83 All Stars were coached by Michael Wanganeen (uncle of future Brownlow medallist Gavin), while Richmond players Maurice Rioli and Phil Egan lined up against their club.

Captained by West Australian ruck great Stephen Michael, the team also included Phil and Jim Krakouer, Robbie Muir and large SANFL representation.

Eighteen months later, Essendon faced an All Stars team in a pre-season scratch match in Tatura, near Shepparton.

In September 1985, premier John Cain selected a combined VFL side – coached by Tom Hafey – to face the All Stars in just the third match played under the new lights at the MCG.

The game was held during what was then called NADOC week, and the clash with the VFL finals meant a number of star players – including the Krakouer brothers – were unavailable for the Syd Jackson-coached side, while Muir came out of retirement to play alongside skipper Rioli.

The early '90s flashpoint

Race had become an international talking point in the media during the early 1990s, particularly in the US where the Rodney King police brutality case (and subsequent acquittal of officers charged) resulted in the Los Angeles riots in 1992.

In Australia, Nicky Winmar's courageous stance – lifting his guernsey and pointing to his skin in response to horrific abuse from the Victoria Park crowd in April 1993 – was making waves.

The action was one of the very first times that race had been talked about in the media through the lens of sport, with the photo by Wayne Ludbey cutting through to the wider public.

Collingwood president Allan McAlister's racist response in the wake of Winmar's actions prompted a pre-season exhibition match to be organised for February 1994 between Collingwood and an Indigenous All Stars side, 10 years after the last All Stars game had been played.

Two-time Brisbane Bears best and fairest Michael McLean captained the team, while players – with every state and territory purposely represented – included a young Darryl White, Dale Kickett, Derek Kickett, Gilbert McAdam and Willie Rioli snr, while Michael Long was sidelined with a freshly torn ACL.

Winmar himself was blocked from playing by St Kilda, who wanted its star to participate in a scratch match instead, with federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander minister Robert Tickner providing a public plea to both the Saints and West Coast (Chris Lewis) to release their players, which the Eagles did.

The All Stars defeated the Pies by 20 points in Darwin, in front of 15,000 fans at what was then called Football Park, Marrara with Prime Minister Paul Keating (a Collingwood fan) tossing the coin. Local star Dennis Dunn and North Melbourne's Warren Campbell booted five apiece, while Russell Jeffrey, the father of current Sun Joel, also played.

Watching on from the stands was a teenaged Andrew McLeod, who was inspired to one day captain the team. A year later, he was signed by Adelaide, and went on to skipper the Indigenous All Stars on three occasions.

The 2000s

An Indigenous All Stars match was played every two years from 2003 to 2015, although the 2011 edition v Richmond was a washout after heavy rain saturated TIO Stadium beyond safe levels.

McLean coached the first three editions, while Chris Johnson (2009), Michael O'Loughlin (2013) and Andy Lovell (2015) have also taken the reins.

Shaun Burgoyne, Aaron Davey and Nathan Lovett-Murray (the great-grandson of Nicholls) played four matches, while Andrew Krakouer, McLeod, Antoni Grover, Chris Johnson, Danyle Pearce, Des Headland, Jarrod Harbrow and Josh Hill played in three games over the period.

The 2013 International Rules series saw Australia represented by an Indigenous All Stars side, although the Aussies lost by a collective 101 points over the two tests to an Ireland team which also contained Zach Tuohy, Colm Begley, Ciaran Byrne and Ciaran Sheehan.

With Lance Franklin a late withdrawal from the second Test, Daniel Wells captained the side with Davey serving as vice-captain, while O'Loughlin was coach.

Ash McGrath took the goalkeeper's gloves and won the Jim Stynes Medal as the team's best player, Steven Motlop starred, while Eddie Betts, Mathew Stokes and Lewis Jetta also put in strong showings.

The 2017 edition was delayed until 2019, with the AFLPA and its Indigenous player advisory board wanting to focus on the player camp and its education sessions.

Instead, 2019 saw an Indigenous side – captained by Eddie Betts and named Deadly – take part in the AFLX pre-season tournament.

With COVID affecting the following years, the 2025 game against Fremantle will be played a decade after the last match was played in earnest, with Bradley Hill (2013, '15), Jarman Impey (2015) and Steven May (2015) suiting up again, while Jase Burgoyne is set to follow in the footsteps of his father Peter.

Saturday night will mark the time for this generation to inspire the next.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent my culture and family with the Indigenous All Stars. Growing up, I admired players like Adam Goodes, Lewis Jetta and 'Sonny' (Michael Walters), who inspired me to play footy," rising Geelong defender Lawson Humphries told his club's site.

"Being able to play alongside some of the League's best – and players who have played a pivotal role in driving social change both in society and within the AFL – is a real privilege. This opportunity will be a great learning experience for me as I deepen my connections within the AFL, and gain a better understanding of both culture and the game. 

"Being a Kimberley boy that grew up in the Pilbara, to be able to represent my culture and background surrounded by friends and family in the stands is something I won't take for granted. Being so far away it's hard for them to watch my games, so to play in front of them whilst representing them is exciting, and to do it against the team my family barracked for makes it even more special."